What Hurts The Most
by Paprika012345
Summary: Syaoran never gets around to telling Sakura he loves her, instead he gives her the bear and leaves. After tragedy strikes Sakura finds out what hurts the most [songfic]


A/N-This is a one-shot that I wrote a while ago when I was really into the song 'What Hurts The Most' by Rascal Flatts. I'm still into the song…which is where this story idea came from. I'm sorry to my 'When Reality Becomes Blurred' readers who probably wanted a one-shot for 'Pieces of an Altered Reality'…but it's taken me way to long to type this story. Read and Review!

Summary-Instead of telling Sakura how he feels, Syaoran merely gives her the bear, a note and walks away. Songfic to 'What Hurts the Most' by Rascal Flatts

Disclaimer-I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura or 'What Hurts the Most' by Rascal Flatts.

"Syaoran-Kun!" The brunette boy paused in the terminal and looked behind him, startled. The emerald-eyed girl raced up the airport corridor, obviously out of breath. She had an air of panic around her…Daidouji had obviously told her of his plans to leave.

Without seeing her again.

A blush crept along his cheeks as he realized how far she had run just to see him. Her shoes screeched on the tiled floor of the corridor as she skidded to a stop in front of him, panting.

"You…were going to leave…" she managed "Without telling me…" Good-bye was what she had meant to say but as she straightened herself up and looked at him, she could tell it was a decision he regretted. He couldn't meet her eyes and instead focused on the pile of luggage that sat several feet away. That didn't make him feel any better as he saw the sorry looking pile of cloth that was supposed to be a teddy bear along with the foolish note he had written the night before.

'I thought I left those on the desk.' He thought, puzzled. Almost after he thought this, he saw a tightly tailored suit standing behind it. 'He didn't.' thought Syaoran in disbelief. But he had. Wei picked the teddy bear and the small white paper up and handed them to his employer. "Do it Syaoran-Sama." He said softly, so that Sakura couldn't hear. "You'll regret it if you don't." Blushing, Syaoran took the teddy in hand and turned back to the girl he had fallen for.

As jerkily as a wooden puppet moved, he walked back over to her and held out his hands. His heart pounding, he held out the teddy and the note as a kind of offering. Reflexively, she raised her own hands. There was a moment where their hands touched and Syaoran thought his face was going to burn off but managed to remain relatively neutral, as he placed the bear gently into her hands. Her emerald eyes reflected surprise as he said in a soft voice "Goodbye Sakura." Picking up his carry on, he was gone and Sakura was left standing there.

It didn't click at first. Sakura could only think 'why did he give me this?' This on her brain, she carefully slit open the envelope and read the slip of paper that sat inside. In a firm, bold hand was written 'His name is Syaoran.' And then it clicked.

Flashback

"If you give a bear named after yourself to the one you deeply care for you will be together forever." Rika had said.

End Flashback

Sakura stood as still as a statue as she processed this bit of information. Glancing back down at the paper she saw, written in a tiny script, with an unsure hand a single word…Aishteru.

He climbed onboard the airplane with a single backwards glance. 'I wonder if she saw it….' He mused silently, turning back to face the interior of the plane. Finding his seat, he sat down and stared back into the terminal, cursing himself for not getting her reaction sooner.

Her shoes clicked on the ground as she raced up the stairs to the gate where she knew that Syaoran was leaving from. She had to tell him….she had to…she could see, in the massive picture window a red plane with the lettering 'Hong Kong air' on the side…

Pulling away from the airport.

Running to the window, she began to pound on it and yell-even though she knew he couldn't hear her…but that didn't matter…she could see him.

His amber eyes widened as she came into view, clutching the bear like it was a lifeline with his letter to her chest. Her small fist pounded on the glass and he nodded once to show that he could see her. She raised the letter she gave him in one of her hands and pressed it against the window. She mouthed the words, but he didn't understand and she could obviously tell that. So, what she did was (blushing all the while) she jabbed her index finger at the small word he had written at the bottom. She then pointed to herself and to the word and to…him.

His face split into a wide smile as he realized that she was saying…

She loved him.

Emerald eyes met amber eyes until the plane turned, taking him from her sight.

That night, she danced happily in her room, holding the small grayish-brown bear close. She pulled it back to examine it again, for the 500th time that night, again marveling at the neat stitches and wondering how long it had taken him to make the bear. Kero sat on the ground and played his video game, rolling his eyes at his new mistresses antics. But he had to smile…it had taken them too long to realize that they loved each other.

However…. "Are you going to do that all night?" He said in a bored voice. "Kero-Chan!" she said, blushing before smiling and saying "Yup!"

Suddenly the phone on her dresser rang and she dashed over, picking it up. "Hello, it's Sakura speaking." "_Kinomoto-San?" _

It was Meiling's voice-but it sounded funny…almost like she was crying…why did she sound funny?

Sakura was about to ask what was wrong when Meiling answered her question. "_It's…the plane it…"_ "Plane…what plane?" "_Syaoran's…"_

Sakura's insides slowly froze at this statement. Her heart almost stopped as she breathed into the receiver "What about the plane Meiling-Chan?" _"It…crashed."_ Meiling let out a sob. "_At least…Aunty said it never made it home…they don't think anyone…"_ Meiling's voice was cut off when the phone clattered to the ground, slipping out of her hand.

Sobs wracked her small frame as she collapsed to the floor. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she called "ONII-CHAN!" Kero disappeared into the dresser as Touya and Yukito's footsteps raced up the stairs and into Sakura's room. "Sakura what's wrong?" asked her older brother urgently. Yuki picked Sakura up into his arms and she sobbed into his shirtfront. "Sakura" said Yuki softly.

"What's wrong Sakura." Said Touya, slightly calmer, but still panicked.

"Syaoran-Kun…" she said softly. Touya's eyes narrowed. "What did that brat do?" he said in a dangerous older brother voice. Sakura looked up from Yuki's shirtfront and transferred herself into her brother's arms. "His plane…he…" Touya's eyes widened immediately in understanding and he gathered his grieving sister into her arms. "Oh Sakura…" he murmured into her hair as he rocked her grieving body.

The next morning, Sakura dragged herself out of bed no energy left to perform basic tasks. She rubbed a red-rimmed eye before getting dressed and going downstairs. "Sakura…" said her father quietly, concern in his eyes. "You don't have to go to school today." She just looked at him with sad eyes. "I've got to keep going daddy…Syaoran would want that…" she choked back a sob. "If you need to come home just ask okay." Sakura nodded and left.

When she got to school Tomoyo was already there, Meiling having called her and informed her of the situation. Concern had filled Tomoyo's big blue eyes and she was there to greet her friend with a hug-just was Sakura had needed. Sakura sobbed into Tomoyo's shoulder, grief only escalating when she saw a sight that killed her…

Syaoran's empty seat.

She couldn't take it. Wrenching herself out of Tomoyo's grasp, she ran out the door, ran all the way home.

His sword was the only thing strong enough for support as he pulled his body out of the restricting surf. Only his training had saved him. But by now Sakura would think that he was dead.

She was bent over the toilet, body heaving, tears mixed with her vomit as she retched her grief out. Kero hovered behind her, holding her hair out of her eyes. "He wouldn't want you to be sad…" said the guardian softly.

Sakura had nothing to say, merely wiping her mouth and sitting back against the doorjamb. She was a complete wreck…why couldn't she just get over him…

Because she loved him.

Unable to merely sit there anymore, she shoved herself up and raced outside. _'I never got to tell him…at least, not really…'_ she mourned as she ran through the kitchen, past the ringing phone and out the door. She vaguely heard Kero pick it up as she slammed the door behind her.

"Meiling? Wha…He is?" The screech of breaks interrupted him. And a scream. "SAKURA!"

She had run out into the road without looking…she only heard the squeal of the breaks and saw the flash of lights…and then darkness.

Tomoyo cried softly in the waiting room of the hospital with Touya, Sakura's father, Yuki and a good majority of her class when the door to the hospital doors slid open. A boy with amber colored eyes and mahogany colored hair ran into waiting room with a girl with ruby eyes and black hair. Tomoyo stood up shakily. "Is she…" said the amber eyed boy. "She's still unconscious." Said Tomoyo softly, shakily. "They don't…know if she'll…" "What room." "Li-Kun…they're not letting anyone who isn't family…"

He closed his ears to these calls. "What. Room."

He stood in front of her. There, almost like an illusion…

She could see through…but something told her that he was there…

"Syaoran-Kun! Syaoran-Kun! I couldn't tell you…." She reached for him…and her hand went right through him.

Her body convulsed as she mentally screamed in anguish. "He's…not coming back…"

She sank even further her comatose state.

He ran into the room and saw lying on the sterile gurney, his love. She looked so cold, so pale, so unlike her normal happy self. On the bed beside her were the Sakura cards. Lying right on top…was the Dream.

He had an idea. Pulling out the beads that formed his sword, he transformed them and was left with the sword. "Sakura…" he murmured. "This is for you…" He picked up the card. "Card belonging to Clow now Sakura…please hear the call of one who loves your mistress…. please. She will never wake up unless I can get through to her…please…let me use you… dream…dream…please! Let me use you…. please"

"DREAM!"

Immediately he was transported into Sakura's dreams…the cards responded to him. He saw his girl curled up in the fetal position, in the corner of a darkened room. "Sakura…Sakura please…" She looked up at him fearfully. "Please Sakura you have to wake up…please…"

"_You're telling me to wake up…Illusion of Syaoran-kun I don't want to wake up if you're not there…"_ her voice was faint and it sounded like she was fading. "I'll be there Sakura…I promise."

Emerald eyes cracked open. She tried to talk but found that she ached all over and that her voice was gone. There was a weight on her chest. She looked up, craning her neck as much as she could.

Syaoran.

Her head fell back against the pillow. Another illusion. Until he sat up and she saw the Dream card underneath him.

"Syaoran-Kun…are you actually here?" she asked timidly

He began to move and sat up. "Yeah…." Taking a breath he untransformed his sword and put the Dream back on the top of the card pile. "How…" said Sakura, slightly breathless. "I summoned my petals of wind and they carried me…Sakura I'm sorry for making you think I was dead."

"You're okay…I'm so glad!" she leaned forward and hugged him. Face buried in his shirtfront, he traced his hands over her back, a relaxing motion.

"Syaoran-Kun…it just hurt when I thought you were dead….that's all…"

"It's okay Sakura…I'm here…I promise I'll never hurt you like that again."

A/N- (cry) I like this one-shot! Read and Review!


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